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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. track — a path
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bank — for money
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bank — for money
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cap — a hat
  11. toast — bread
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pitch — completely
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. spring — the season
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. spring — of water
  18. bat — the animal
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wind — moving air
  22. track — a song
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bank — of a river

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com